Putting Girls’ Education First

Bjorn Lomborg discusses new research paper for Haïti Priorise which shows that scholarship or financial assistance programs can increase the enrollment of girls in primary and secondary schools.

Girls’ education is one of the most powerful things that any nation can invest in, because it creates large and lasting social and economic benefits. Girls who are well-educated go on to lead more empowered, prosperous lives. They delay pregnancy until they are older, affecting maternal and infant mortality rates. And they raise healthier children, creating a virtuous cycle with inter-generational benefits.

Globally, if all girls completed primary school, the number of maternal deaths would be cut by two-thirds, the number of child marriages would drop by 14%, infant mortality would fall by 15%, and 1.7 million children would avoid the stunting of malnutrition."

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